The present invention relates to several different sensing systems for an automotive vehicle, such as parking-aid, reversing-aid, and pre-collision sensing systems, and more particularly to a system and method of performing object detection for the stated systems utilizing vision technology.
Various sensing systems currently exist for detection, classification, tracking, and relative distance and velocity estimation of objects within a close proximity of a host automotive vehicle. The sensing systems may be ultrasonic, radar, or vision-based. The ultrasonic-based systems are used primarily for parking-aid and reversing-aid applications whereas the vision-based systems are used primarily for parking-aid, lane departure, lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control applications. The radar-based systems may be used in parking-aid, reversing-aid, adaptive cruise control and pre-crash sensing applications.
Parking-aid and reversing-aid systems are typically used in the automotive industry and are becoming abundantly available in the market. Parking-aid systems and reversing-aid systems indicate to a vehicle operator that an object, that may not be visible to the vehicle operator, is within a stated distance of the vehicle. The vehicle operator may then respond accordingly.
Parking-aid systems are typically used to detect an object forward and rearward of a host vehicle. When the host vehicle is traveling in a forward direction at relatively slow velocities of approximately less than 10 kmph, the parking-aid system detects objects approximately within 1 m forward of the host vehicle. When the vehicle is in a reverse gear, such that the vehicle is traveling in a rearward direction the parking-aid system typically detects objects ranging from within approximately 2 m of the host vehicle.
Reversing-aid systems detect objects only in the back of the vehicle. Reversing-aid systems are typically used to detect an object rearward of and within approximately 2 m of the host vehicle to within approximately 5 m of the host vehicle, when the host vehicle is in a reverse gear. Thus, when the vehicle is in the reverse gear, a rearward sensing system operating in a reversing-aid mode covers the requirements for both reversing-aid and rearward parking-aid systems.
Pre-collision systems typically detect objects in the front or rear of the vehicle when traveling in the forward direction at speeds approximately above 10 kmph, but at relatively larger distances than that of parking-aid systems and reversing-aid systems. It is preferred in pre-collision systems to accurately detect relative velocities of objects with relatively higher accuracy for relatively larger distances and utilize a relatively quicker update rate.
Adaptive cruise control systems adjust a host vehicle traveling speed to maintain a safe operating distance between the host vehicle and a target vehicle. Lane departure and lane-keeping systems monitor lane markers or roadway lane designating lines, which sometimes are referred to as lane striping or lane separating lines, and generates a warning signal to warn a vehicle operator when a host vehicle is departing from or is not maintaining travel within a current operating lane.
The parking-aid, reversing-aid, and pre-collision systems commonly use multiple radar or ultrasonic sensors, which can be costly.
Although, the adaptive cruise control, lane departure, and lane-keeping systems tend to utilize fewer sensors than parking-aid, reversing-aid, and pre-collision systems, they also tend to be costly due to use of radar or vision sensors and use of vision processors.
It is desirable, when designing a vehicle to minimize vehicle components, system complexity, and vehicle production and manufacturing costs. It is therefore also desirable to provide an object detection system that may be applied as a parking-aid, reversing-aid, pre-collision, adaptive cruise control, lane departure, and lane-keeping system and at the same time minimizes the amount of object detection sensors and costs involved therein.